Akıncı: “EU has no security and guarantee mechanism”

President Mustafa Akıncı stated that the guarantees desired by Turkish Cypriots related to protecting their security cannot be provided by the EU because the EU does not have such a mechanism.

President Mustafa Akıncı answered questions from NTV regarding the Cyprus negotiation process.

“There is a suggestion for an international power. On the other hand, Turkey is very sensitive to the security of the Turkish Cypriots” said Akıncı. When asked if he insists “on the presence of Turkish troops,” Akıncı responded “Not only Ankara but also the Turkish Cypriot people have the same sensitivities on this issue.”

Akıncı said that there are two important points: the security issue and the continuation of the status of the Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Cypriot people do not want to rely on foreign powers for their guarantee on these issues, the President stated, before continuing as follows:

“If the federation we establish breaks again because of the Greek Cypriots’ stance, if they attempt to usurp our rights, then the Turkish Cypriots will have to resort to their last option. We know that only one power could stop this course of action, with a decision that would still have to be passed in their own parliament – that power is Turkey.”

“At first Greek Cypriots showed some understanding but later, the Greek Cypriot Leader said that this system is worse than the system in 1960 which allegedly evokes two separate states and a confederation, and that the Turkish Cypriot side had proposed to keep the system as it was in 1960.”

President Akıncı also highlighted that the right to intervene not only belongs to Turkey, but also Greece and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot side was insisting on zero troops and zero guarantees, and Akıncı said that it was out of the question for the Turkish Cypriot side to accept this.

“During the technical group discussions which lasted for two days at Mont Pèlerin, it was very clear that guarantees within the framework of the EU could not be provided, in the sense of guaranteeing and protecting the constitutional status which the Turkish Cypriots want”.
Akıncı underlined that the Greek Cypriots have extreme demands, saying that “The most extreme is that regarding the removal of all troops over the next couple of years but without a solution in place. This is not possible. Turkey’s 40,000 troops in Cyprus are not needed, but the number should be decreased if a solution is reached. In 1960, an agreement was reached for 650 Turkish troops and 950 Greek troops to be present on the island. Turkish President Erdoğan also mentioned a similar number.”

Calling for the Greek Cypriots to be more reasonable and realistic on this point, Akıncı stressed that the Greek Cypriots’ ‘zero troops, zero guarantees’ attitude would not be approved in a referendum.

President Mustafa Akıncı and Greek Cypriot Leader Nikos Anastasiades will meet again as part of Cyprus negotiations at the buffer zone under the auspices of the United Nations.

The leaders’ meeting today will be the first meeting after the five-party conference and the negotiations in Geneva.